Beloved White Rose Princess
by Yuzumi
Summary: How would things turn up if Joshua had actually been alive and had a friendship with Jennifer? Would his and her world change completely? AU
1. The bear prince meets the unlucky girl

**Beloved White Rose**** Princess**

**_Yuzumi_**

**Hello everyone! I'm here with a idea that came to me some weeks ago. I loved so much Rule of Rose and it's twisted plot that I decided to do something about it. And right after I read Faraidy fic Five Things That Never Not Happened to Joshua, I thought that it would be nice to write something with Joshua as the main character. There may be some OCCness but that is only due to the simple fact that I'm not the one who envisioned the chars and I'm not god also.**

**I won't ask for review, so you are free to do it if you so want. Oh, and I'm gonna keep posting periodically, since the chaps will be short.**

**I don't own any of the chars from Rule of Rose, they are from Punchline, Atlus and all the others involted in the creation of this wonderful game.**

* * *

**January ****1921**

**The bear prince meets the unlucky girl**

It was Monday. The rain poured down heavily. And I laid there in my bed unable to close my eyes, no matter how hard I tried. So I pulled the blanket away from my heated body and tip-toed through the dark house, trying to be as silence as I could be. Once I finally reached a door with a little sign, I went to the bed and knelt beside it. Barely whispering I called. "Jennifer… Are you awake?" Getting no answer back I started to gently shake the sleeping girl. "Jennifer!" I insisted once again.

Hearing her muttered something under her breath, she face me. "Joshua… do you have any clue of what time is it?" She asked.

Though I knew just perfectly that it was long pass bed time… "I can't sleep with all this thundering." As I waited for her reply, my body shivered. Her room, down in the basement, was colder than my own. And not as colorful either.

Jennifer looked at me for a while, maybe wondering if I was lying or not. Sighing, she moved a little further in her narrow bed. "Fine, come over here." Smiling, I rushed to her warm and welcoming side, cuddling closer to her while my arms laced her waist.

At first, my freezing self shivered at the contact, cold against hot skin, but that didn't last much more than some minutes. Even if the only source of light came from the window, I could see her eyes staring at me. Nose on nose, eyes on eyes. And her calming, small hand gently ran through my short hair as time itself was forgotten. In that very moment there was only Jennifer and I. Our little and sheltered world could only bear to have the two of us. No one else.

"You have to get back to you room before your father finds you here. Or else we'll be scolded once again." She warned. Her forehead was pressed against mine and I gave a small nod, molding our bodies together so there was barely any space between us. Finally closing my eyes, I slept peacefully like the other many nights which I shared with her.

_There was fire everywhere you could look at. Even I didn't know how I was standing there by my father's side as he screamed over and over again "Is there anybody alive!?__". Even the rain couldn't do much against the red tongues of hell that licked the balloon, consuming everything. Cloth, metal, wood, flesh… Everything became ashes in that place._

_And I, just barely __eight, was helpless there. My weak body would only do some little movement without me starting another breathing crisis. The heavy smoke wasn't helping either. It would only make my eyes burn._

_Before I could notice, I was all alone there. My father nowhere in sight. Becoming desperate, I cried and cried his name, but no reply came back. I became terrified as it was harder breathe. No, I need to find my father; he should be somewhere out there looking for me. Trying his best to find me. Having nothing or no one to guide myself, I probably walked in circle once and once again._

_That was when I heard a distant crying. It was not my father's, for his was deeper. No, that one was a tiny, little sniffing sound, and following it I came to a place where there were some boxes crushing a person._

_I pushed him__, but he didn't move, not a single inch. I called, but once again there was no reply. "Is somebody alive?" I asked, verifying if I hadn't missed a single point. No. I had checked._

_But the sniffing didn't stop. And it was coming from the dead body. Through a small hole I saw that the sound was coming from a girl, who was pressing herself again the boxes. She was trying to get as far from the fire as she could._

_Before I could do something, a pair of hands took me away from there. "Joshua!" My father shouted. "I thought I had lost you!"_

_I started to fight back his tight grip. He was getting away from there. "Daddy! There is someone over there!!!" I said, pointing to the same spot I had found the frightened girl. "She is going to die there!"_

_Father halted, asked if I was sure, turned back and put me on the floor. "Stay away!" He warned me. Once he saw that I was far enough, he mustered all this strength as he lifted the first heavy box. And instinctively I got closer, to be told to go back. Two more boxes to go. Another successful attempt. One more to go._

_However the last box would only move slightly a few inches. "Hey little girl, get out of there!!!" My father roared, yet she didn't move from her spot, totally petrified by the situation. "Get out before I lose all my strength!"_

_Knowing that this was not working, I crawled into the tiny hole. "Joshua!" He gasped. But that alone did little to stop me, I needed to help her. When I was by her side, I saw that her ankle was covered with blood. Touching her warm and wet cheeks I looked into her frightened eyes. "Let's get away from here…" I murmured._

_At first she didn't give any sign that she really understood, but as I grabbed her hand, she followed me with some difficulty. Her ankle was hurt. "Joshua! Hurry!" Begged my father. My body was being squeezed._

"_Just a little bit…" I said._

_We were almost there. I could see my father's shoes. But suddenly I stopped. I couldn't breathe._

"_Joshua!!" I knew that it was hard to keep that box above us, yet my body needed air._

_The girl must have noticed what was happening to me. Crawling by my side, she pushed me toward the exit. Just as we got out, the heavy box crashed on the floor. "Joshua!" Once again I heard my father calling my name._

_Coming to me, he saw that I was having some difficulty to breathe. In a short fragment of time, he grabbed the girl and me in his arms and left, running through the corridors._

_Outside, my father laid me down on the ground. The heavy rain was falling hard. Wetting my face, hair, clothes, and body. Feeling the pressure on my chest being lifted I fainted._

Jennifer wake me up just was the dawn was about to began. Bidding her a short farewell, I carefully tip-toed back my room. Just as I laid my head on the pillow, my father came to see if I was alright. "Good morning Daddy." I said while faked sleepiness.

"Sorry. I didn't want to wake you up." He apologized.

Getting up, I stretched. "Do not worry, Daddy. I was already awakening." I gave a big smile as I looked through the window. The storm was long passed, only some scarce raindrops would remain and the sunlight was getting brighter and brighter behind the treetops. Probably there was a rainbow somewhere.

"Well while I go fetch you sister, go clean yourself." Following my father's command I went to the bathroom, cleaning my face and hands. After that I changed into my favorite pair of clothe. A plain white shirt, a grey shorts and a green ribbon. Just as I was about to finish tying the complicated piece of silk, Jennifer opened the door.

"Joshua, are you ready?" She asked.

"Almost…" I sighed.

"Oh dear lord, you have tied it completely wrong." Undoing the ugly ribbon, she took things in her hands, easily fixing it. Smiling at her work, she complemented. "Now you are ready."

Leaving her alone so that she could now get ready, I followed the smell of baking eggs and bacon leaking from the kitchen. Though we could hardly afford a great variety food or even medicines, being able to eat with together with dad and Jennifer was more than I could wish for. I wouldn't need anything else beside that.

Soon, Jennifer came and went to help my father to prepare the breakfast, putting some plucked apples on the table. This season the big apple-tree had given us some ripen fruits. "Daddy, do you know if there is some milk left?" She asked.

"I believe there just a little bit."

Filling one mug with it, she placed it front of me. "Here Joshua." I knew that it was not fresh milk, which was what the city doctor had prescribed me, but the thought that they both would give me the little we have would make that simple milk a gift from heaven. I drank it whole.

My father laughed at my milk mustache, mentioning that I should clean it. "You are too young to have a proper mustache my son." His words held such joy and warm. Serving us, the three of us sat there, enjoying that peaceful morning meal. "I was thinking about a new story to tell you." He began, chewing his eggs right after.

"Really?" I exclaimed. I loved my father's stories. He was so good at it. "What it will be about this time?"

"You know I can't tell you. It would only spoil the surprise."

After breakfast was finished, we cleaned the kitchen and since I was feeling well, I decided to go to Rose Garden Orphanage with Jennifer. The big building, hidden in the country side, was the only school we had in miles. Mr. Hoffman, the headmaster, had allowed us to have lessons there, together with the orphans. Even if it was, or at least I believe, against his will. "Daddy, I'm going to go." Said Jennifer while grabbing her books.

"I'm also going!" That didn't please my father at all. He didn't like me wondering somewhere else.

"Son, shouldn't you stay here and rest? It was a cold night." His pleas could do little again my decision. No, I was going to go with Jennifer, end of question.

In the end, he understood that there was no way back, so with a long sigh he said. "Very well. Jennifer, please take care of your brother."

Nodding, she got my hand as we walked to the entrance door. Before we left, she grabbec the old green umbrella, which was the only thing to protect us from the humid weather. Even if the sun was shining bright, there was no telling about later.

The small path that led to the orphanage was muddy as we walked hand-in-hand making splash sound. I could hardly believe that two years ago there was no Jennifer in my life.

_When I woke up, I was not laying on the grassy ground. I was rather at a complete clean and white room, in very comfortable bed. By my side my father, deeply fallen asleep, was holding my hand tightly. "Daddy?" I whispered quietly. My throat was dry._

"_Joshua…?" He murmured, opening one eye slowly. "Joshua!" Holding me close to him, I felt little drops falling from his face. For the first time I saw my father cry. "I though I had lost you!" While patting his back, I let him sob quietly._

_Soon a nurse came in__, lecturing him. "Mister, please refrain from hugging a patient that has just awake." She seemed old and tired behind those bottle-bottom glasses. Her eyes were filled with sorrow. "I'm alright Daddy. You can let me go." It was clear that my father wasn't pleased with what she asked, but he did what was told. He gently laid me back on the white bed._

"_Mr. Wilson, there are some police officers looking for you." Said another nurse._

_Sighing, he turned to me. "I'll be right back." As he left, the old nurse made some check ups. Seeing if I was alright. Once it was over she handed me a green soup to fill my empty stomach. I couldn't say it, but it was incredibly horrible._

_It didn't take long for my father to come back. "What is wrong Daddy? I asked. His face looked worried as giant wrinkles married his tanned skin._

_As he sat on the chair right next to me, he looked right into my eyes and said calmly. "Joshua, son, do you remember the girl we saved that night?" Nodding, I asked if there was something wrong with her, if she had died, but he reassured me that she was fine, however… "Her mom and dad have died… And her relatives don't want to look after her." He grabbed my hands in his and continued. "The poor thing doesn't have a home to return to."_

"_Why would her family not want her?" I asked innocently._

_My father shook his head. "I don't know, my son, I don't know. The police officers just told me that they were going to send her to an orphanage somewhere… Bloody hell, adults can be so selfish sometimes!" His hands were shaking, his face burning red as he told me that._

"_But isn't orphanage for those how don't have anyone?" Once again I stated a simple fact. He only nodded once again, maybe understanding that if he said more, he would only be able to curse her family even more. "Daddy, why don't we take her home then? If they don't want her, then there would be no problem, right?"_

_His tired eyes shot wide open. "Joshua! It's not that simple! It's not like getting a pet!" One of the nurses shushed him, so he calmed his voice. "You know we are not rich. I can hardly afford food for you and me. __You need constantly medication… I'm sorry but there is nothing we can do." Though I understood what he said, I couldn't agree with his decision. Allowing them to send her away was the same as simply turning our back to her. She would have no future living in an orphanage._

"_Just sending her away will only make us worst them her family!" I cried._

"_Please Joshua listen to what you are saying. Would you rather let her die there?" He sighed._

"_No!" I gasped. "Of course I would not want that!" My eyes were now filled with tears. "I just don't want her to be alone."_

_With a shake of his head, my father said. "Very well. I'll do what I can to help her. So now you better go sleep." Right after he said that, the old nurse came back. As she gave me some sort of medicine I fell back to dreamland._

"Joshua!" Called Jennifer. Looking at me with her curious eyes and beautiful smile. "You have been day-dreaming this whole time. Penny for your thoughts?"

"I was just remembering the first time we met." Answering her question, I saw that her smile got even brighter. Her hands held mine tight.

"Remember how afraid I was the very first time we actually saw each other after the incident? I truly believe you would do something mean to me." Her sincerity made me laugh together with her. I had been such a strange first encounter that I thought she hated me deeply.

_A week later the whole talk with my father, we where somehow, able to keep the girl. __The ash covered face was now clean. She had such a flawless skin, with a beautiful rosy color. Even her hair looked silky, running down her back in cascades of light brown hair. But she had such a sad and scared look in her eyes. Just like a hurt animal._

"_Joshua, this is Jenn__ifer." My father introduced us._

_Her light eyes looked straight back at mine; however she didn't say anything. Did n__othing. She only looked at me. "Hello." I was very shy at that moment. "I'm Joshua." I don't know what I expected, but her total silence hurt me even more. "It's a pleasure to meet you."_

_Getting no answer, I decided to approach her. Really slow. However it was futile, she would run away every time._

"_Sorry." Apologized one of the nurses. "She has been through a lot of bad things. So it will take some time for her to relax around somebody." Of course I understood the circumstances. I would probably be the same if I had seen my father die._

_For the rest of the day she kept her distance from us._

_Some weeks later, she had finally moved to our house located in the countryside. Far away from the noisy city center._

_She didn't have any luggage. Not a single piece of clothe beside the one she had over her body. Everything she ever possessed had burned to aches in the fire or like my father said, was now being used by her family. She was just as empty on the inside as on the outside._

_Promptly we decided to show her around the house. To see if she could get used to the new environment. However she just followed us without saying a single word. We didn't want to pressure her so we let her be._

_Though I had a room of my own, my constant sickness circle made it almost unbearable for me to share it with another. And the basement was the only space available at the moment. I was very aware that it was cold and humid, only the heater could make it a little bit more comfortable. I had hoped that after this she would at least show any sign of complain, unfortunate I was deeply wrong. Even as summer approached and he had to cut her hair, she continued to be quiet._

_Both, father and I, became worried after she started look more apathetic. Very thin also. Maybe even sick. She hardly ate what he cooked._

_We got the point of almost sending her back to the hospital for a check up, when someone came to our house. "Daddy, who is it?" I asked, trying to look through the window. There was a strange car parked outside._

"_Joshua, please, go play with Jennifer in your room." Doing as told, I lead her to my room as I set some of my favorite toys near her. There was only one of them which she would get closer. My miniature of Zeppelin. Giving her a soldier, I saw her examining it only to turn her head towards the door. "Come in." I hear my father invite the person or people inside._

"_Thank you." Reply an old strange female voice. "You have a nice home." I that what she said was to meant be a complement but it sounded to fake. So disgusted._

"_Oh, thank you. Let's go to living room." The sound of door opening and closing made me curious. It was very rare for someone to come visit us. It made me want to find the reason why._

"_I'll be right back." I said to the girl on the other corner of my room. But when I was about to leave, I felt a tug on my shirt. She wanted to go too. "Alright. But we have to be silence." Sealing our deal with a nod, we tip-toed through the hall. Thankfully the back door was open just enough to let us see what was happening there._

_Sat on the sofa was an old woman really well dressed and adorned with shining stone. By her side a very tall man. The two of them seemed to shine in the dirty room. "So, I believe you know the reason of our visit." Stated the lady, her accent didn't sound pleasant at all._

"_Yes. You said you wanted to talk about Jennifer." Father, who was on the opposite sofa, was really nervous. He was playing with his hands non-stop. He only did that when nervous._

_Crossing her legs, she gave him a sweet smile. Like a fox would do to its prey. "Yes. You see, I was so broken to discover that my dear young brother had died. You can image how sad I'm right now." She was dripping cordiality and sympathy as she told her story. "And poor little Jennifer… All alone in this whole wide world… with a single person to help her." Father could only nod. "Well what I really mean is that I was surprised that you decided to look after her, but it would certainly be better if she could be with her own kind. Her family misses her a lot."_

"_I'm sorry my lady." Politely interrupted my father. "You are saying that the same family who abandon that poor child is now suddenly opening their arms to her? That you all miss her? I may look dumb, my lady, but I'm not naïve. So you better tell me exactly what you want, or else I'll have to ask you to leave." His harsh tone shocked the high society woman. _

"_Oh! How dare you treat me like your kind!?" She tried to sound hurt, but her fakeness didn't allow such an act. In the end, with a loud 'hum' she continued. This time she wasn't faking anymore. "Very well Mr. whatever. I'll be clear. Jennifer is to be send to the orphanage. If that little wrench goes away then I'll get rid to have every single thing my soooo dear brother had." My eyes widened. Was she meaning all those words? Could there be somebody as wrong as her?_

_Before anyone of my questions could be answered, __I heard the girl by my side run away. A door was open, then loud steps on the stair and another door slamming. "What was that?" The woman asked. Running, I followed her every step to the basement. Only to find the door shut tight._

"_Please let me in." I called, but no reply came back. Seeing if I could somehow break the door, I figured that she was probably using all her strength to hold it. The lock was open. "I won't__ harm you!" This time I shouted._

_No result at all. She wouldn't open the door._

_Suddenly I was stroked by the bolt of creativity. Running back to my room, I grabbed the very first fluff thing my hands touched and rushed down stairs as fast as my pathetic body allowed. Taking some short gulps of air, I regained my breath. "Jennifer, open the door." I said in a cartoonist voice. "For I, the bear prince, have come to bright your day." There was no answer, so I took that as a good sign. "I will not allow any harm to come to you. So please Lady Jennifer, open the gate for me!"_

_Another long pause was made. Just as I as about to say another heroic phrase, the door opened slightly. That was exactly what I was looking for. An invitation. Without wasting any precious time, I entered the room. Closing the door right after._

_She was on the opposite wall, her back against it. Both her legs were closed to her chest and her eyes waited for my next move. __Getting closer to her, I toyed with my old but favorite teddy bear. "I won't allow the old witch to get you, pretty lady. I'll stay always by your side. That I, the bear prince, so do swear." Putting it in front of her, I didn't have to wait long to see her pulling it closer to her body. She gave it a little squeeze._

"_I…" She began. Tear freely running down her face. "I accept you… bear prince." I was suddenly taken back when she hugged me. Patting her back, I let her cry to her hearts content. Even when she was calmer, her arms didn't lose their grip. "Thank you…" I had barely heard her whisper._

_When she let me go, she showed me the bear. "What is his name?" She asked._

"_I know don't… I never gave it a name."_

_Looking at the stuffed bear, she then took the green tie I had and placed on it. "Then his name shall be Joshua." I looked at her in surprise. "Joshua, the prince bear." I couldn't stop a big smile from spreading in my face. I was the toy. I was Joshua, the prince bear. She had remembered my name._

"_Yes, Jennifer."_

_There, on the tiny and dirty basement, we had sealed the begging of our life together._

"I'm so ashamed… I've taken away your ribbon without asking." Confessed Jennifer. Both hands covering her red face. I could only laugh at that. "Hey! Mr. Wilson, it's not very polite to laugh at somebody." Though she tried to sound angry or serious, or both, I don't know, she failed horribly.

"Sorry, Jennifer. I didn't mean to laugh. It's just that it's been two year since that day. I could hardly care about it anymore." I explained.

That pleased her a lot. "Well, here we are. Rose Garden Orphanage." She smiled at me.

There in front of us was the huge mansion. The place we called school.

To be continued…

**Next...**

**January 1921**

**The Red Rose Princess' Court**

* * *

**Well, that is the first chap. Hope you all like it. Until the next one.**

**Yuzumi.**


	2. The Red Rose Princess’ Court

**Beloved White Rose**** Princess**

**_Yuzumi_**

**Hello once again. Here is chap 2, which was a little just a little bit hard to write. Let's just said that some strong forces were against me when I tried to work... And I was getting pretty tired at a point, but I wont give up so easily XD At least no yet.**

**This chap may contain a lot of OCC, so I'm already apologizing for those who will say that I didn't portrait them well, but hey I'm human... I can make mistakes. But I hope that you all like it.**

**Thank Saemi67 for you review, I'm glad that you liked the first chap. And also all of reader, I'm glad that you all gave a chance to this story.**

**Disclaimers: I don't own Rule of Rose. (I'm not gonna say once again to whom it belongs...)**

**Well have fun.**

* * *

**January 1921**

**The Red Rose Princess' Court**

Jennifer and I looked at Rose Garden Orphanage with interest. It was a very well kept mansion, right at the top of a hill. Surrounding it was a thick forest, too thick for any of us to wonder at night. How odd. The double gate was opened. Well, we didn't have much time to wonder about that, so we entered the orphanage's ground.

"Jennifer!" Shouted a very familiar blond girl. "You finally came." Hugging the brunette closer to her, she buried her face in her neck.

"Whoa. Hello Wendy." Laughed Jennifer. "I'm sorry but it took us a while to get here."

"Us?" Wendy asked. Looking at me over her shoulder, she said in a very warm way. "Oh! Hello Joshua. I didn't see you there."

"No problem Wendy. I totally understand." Actually I understood much more than that. It was pretty much irritating the way she would behave around the brunette so warm and gentle. But that was all fakeness. In Wendy's mind and heart there was only enough space for Jennifer and Jennifer alone. She despised every single thing that could possibly have anything to do with the other girl.

Wendy was pretty selfish. That was my biggest problem.

Unfortunately there were other things that we shared in common. Just like me, the blond girl was regularly sick, having to spend days in the lonely bed in the sickroom. And when she wasn't sick, it was no surprise to find her wondering somewhere else with Jennifer. But what definitely connected us was the girl, unaware of our little and constant fights for her attention. I, being the only one with a strong relationship with Jennifer, was the one despised from the deeps of her heart from the very begging.

"You look well." This time her voice didn't sound so sweet to my ears.

"Actually I had a pretty good night of sleep." My reply made her eyes darkened with hatred. Her next reaction was to hug even tighter the poor girl.

"That is soooo nice to hear."

"You two better stop chatting. Mr. Hoffman will scold us for being late." Warned Jennifer as she got away. Hastily we entered the hall and corridor which led to the classroom.

It was a rather large place. But the number of chair and desks were too much to make our way from one side to the other easy. On the back wall, near the door, there was a huge heater. It was so noisy that Mr. Hoffman was quiet reluctant to turn it on even in winter. We couldn't hear him at all in those times. The orphan's, eleven in total, who lived in Rose Garden Orphanage, sat in each respective chair. It was a small group but very, very different. A single look and you could notice that easily.

Margaret, or Meg, was the cleverest of all the children and her seat was in the front row. However she had a very inflexible personality, as if she was perfect and the rest of us weren't. I didn't have any mean feeling towards her, but sometimes she was a little bit too high about herself. She would even mistreat Jennifer, though she didn't let the others know about it. "Oh, Diana! Look at what I've discovered." Her eyes shining with enthusiasm behind the thick glass.

Turning her head, the red-haired girl gave little interest in what was show to her. "That is nice Meg." Diana said shortly. Being one of the eldest children here, she had a mature air around her that none of us had. Taking Clara aside, of course. Somehow she ruled all the others. Her strong-wiliness was one of the many characteristic which drew people to do as she told. And her face, sweet and angelic was her best weapon. I would become scared whenever she gave off one of her pretty smiles. "Eleanor, could you please shut that bird of yours mouth. It's irritating." She hissed.

On the other side of the classroom, Eleanor played with her beautiful red bird. Among us she was the quietest. Her every word always seemed to be previously calculated. As if there shouldn't be wasted a single drop of saliva. "Sure, Diana." She said in an expressionless way, covering her bird's cage with a red cloth. Maybe it was her dark eyes, but she gave me the feeling of emptiness. Like her heart was cold as ice.

Those three somewhat controlled the small group of children. Even the boys had not the slightest chance against the so called ladies from this orphanage.

But that didn't mean that they were saint. On the contrary. Xavier and Nicholas would always play pranks on everyone when they bored. Just like the one they had schemed right now. A wet cloth covered in chalk dust was placed on the sit by my side. The sit that belonged to a certain girl that would probably be late today.

"Good Morning children." Said Mr. Hoffman as he entered the classroom. "Now everyone place take you seat."

With the corner of my eyes I watched Jennifer and Wendy. Since the desk were paired in two, the blond girl would always make sure that Jennifer sat by her side. Which was the last row, far away from me. "Good Morning Mr. Hoffman." We all said in unison.

Just as we were about to begin the first lesson of the day, two children entered. Thomas and Amanda. "Sorry our lateness..." The chubby girl asked for forgiveness.

"Amanda and Thomas, please set down now, can you? We are about to begin." Nodding both quietly went to theirs destined places. Amanda by my side and Thomas right behind me.

The unfortunate girl didn't notice the dirty cloth on her chair, so once the wetness touched her she gave a loud yelp. Immediately everyone started to giggle, aside from Jennifer, Wendy and me. Amanda's cheeks flared bright red as pushed the wet rag away from her chair in disgust and sent dead glares at the boys. "You two!" She pointed a finger at Xavier and Nicholas.

"What? We didn't do such a thing. We are totally innocent." Both said at the same time, faking innocent eyes. "Amanda probably forgot to take off that rag went she got out from the sewing-room."

"No I didn't!"

"Well if it wasn't you and it wasn't us, who could it be?" Xavier's eyes ran through the classroom, stopping right on Jennifer's eyes. "Maybe Jennifer did it…"

I saw Jennifer's face turn white when Amanda's eyes descended on her. The brunette tried her best to prove her innocence but the others didn't lend her any help. Just the opposite, Diana, Meg and Eleanor would only give more and more false clues to the chubby. And if it wasn't for Mr. Hoffman's sudden intrusion, I was sure that something would happen to right there. Something neither I nor Jennifer would like.

"Now now children, quiet down." Though I was sure that Amanda didn't want to follow the old man's command, she did as told, sitting down right next to me. "Let me see, last week we talked about Voltaire, right?"

I rarely paid attention to what was explained in the blackboard, as his words went on and on. This as a good thing about my healthy problem. I could just spend my entire day reading the text books until I had almost the whole subject impressed in my mind. Some times I would even explain things to Jennifer when we were alone at night.

But here in this cold room, I stood quiet, neither raising a hand nor speaking a word, just pretending to listen to what was told to me. And from time to time I would secretly look back to watch Jennifer writing things in her notebook while Wendy whispered quietly in her ear.

Time could pass faster when I didn't pay attention to class. At least today. As I organized my books and pencils, Amanda came closer to me, smiling sweetly. "Oh Joshua! Hello."

"Hello Amanda." I bid her a late hello.

It was no secret the feeling she harbored for me. Not from me or to anyone else. On special occasions I would get small decorations she'd made in the sewing-room, like hearts with arrows or others stuffs. They were nice, but that always cost me a long scold from the boys. I wasn't supposed to accept something that wasn't manly or even fall in love. And I would always remember them that we were only children yet to grown fully.

But I have to agree that her last gift, two small stuffed dolls scared me to death. One looking just like her and the other like me. Both wearing what should be hers and mine clothes in rag version, and when a discovered that the hair on top of their tiny heads was actual hair. My hair to be precise. I almost fainted. I didn't have any clues of how or where she got them and neither did I want to know. From that day forward I stopped being alone in the same room as her.

"You know… I'm just about to finish a new doll that I'm doing just for you. Why don't you come with me so that I can show you?" Her eyes sparkled with anxiety, while I gulped, trying to figure a way to avoid that without being rude.

"I'm not sure. We have gotten to help the other, don't we?" I began. "I mean, today is the cleaning day after all."

I'm not sure if she truly understood the subtle fear behind my words, but apparently no. With a pout she said that tomorrow I would definitely have to see whatever she was preparing in her domain. For today I was safe, that I could make sure. Waving goodbyes she went away, running to the sewing-room like her life depended on it.

"Hello boys and girls. How are we today?" Mr. Hoffman's voice echoed from the speaker boxes hanging around the mansion. "Wastepaper should go in the rubbish, and washing should go into the Filth Room. It's time to spring clean our home!" There was always a strange happy song in the back, which played and played many times. So much energy in a strange song to drive us crazy, it was my guess. "Everyone, bring your brushes and dustpans, and gather around. Do I make myself clear, children?"

Sighing, I went to where Jennifer and Wendy were. "Jennifer will you need some help?" I asked with my things were arms.

Shaking her head, the brunette replied. "Of course not, Joshua. Cleaning some dirty clothes isn't much of a work. You can go back home if you want."

Wendy's eyes locked on my, hopefully waiting for a reply that would never come. "No, I can wait for you to finish." I smiled while the blond girl eyed me with even more hatred.

Just as we were about to leave the classroom, she started to couth louder and louder, her pale hand right above her heart. "Wendy! Are you alright?" Jennifer held her closer, concern written all over her young face.

"I'm a little dizzy and my throat hurts."

"Okay." Without much effort, she put the other girl on her back and turned to me. "Joshua, please take my things to the wash-house. I'll take Wendy to Clare." I nodded as she walked away, trying to keep her balance.

Making a little detour I easily did what was asked, placing her things on a dried shelf, far way from all the chemical products hanging around the tiny room. Aside from the strong smell of soup, the dirty clothes ruled the atmosphere. I never understood what made Jennifer work here. We didn't have to, it wasn't an obligation. But she always said that it was the least she could do to repay everything they've done so far for her.

Though I could stay a while there, the smell was even stronger today, especially since the door and window where closed. So I would wait for Jennifer to open them up for me.

Stepping into the corridor I decided that I would explore a little bit the mansion, after all it would probably take a while for her to come back. Wendy would demand her whole attention now.

Since the kitchen was near, I slightly opened the door so that I could see Martha, Rose Garden Orphanage's queen of the kitchen domain. Diana, Meg and Eleanor would call her the Queen of Cleaning whenever she turned her back to them.

She was a very old lady, with a creepy face. If I believed that Mr. Hoffman didn't like us, than Martha despised us more than anything. Every time Jennifer and I did something wrong she would severely scold us, even beating us in special occasions. But that was what she usually did to all in the orphanage. It was just that we seemed weaker then the rest. And complain wasn't an option. The leftover would be our dinner when there would be a huge waste. So we just learned to never cross her path.

While she cursed, going from the oven to the many shelves, I could clearly smell the delicious food we would have at lunch. She may hate us, but her food was indeed very good.

Silently closing the door, I went to the cafeteria. Olivia, the youngest of us, was putting the knives and forks on the tables. She was small and somewhat looked fragile. The table was taller than her, so she always had to use a chair as a stair to finish her work. Unfortunately one knife escaped her hand and fell on the floor.

Covering my ears, I waited for the inevitable. Olivia always cried loudly over the smallest problem. Only to get the adults' attention. Not wanting to be found, I went away before Mrs. Martha came to see what was going on.

The next place on my little adventure was the Headmaster's room. The place where Mr. Hoffman resided. Though the room was where that annoying song was being played, there was possibly no way I would step inside if he was there. Especially alone.

To my luck he was nowhere in sight. So being very careful, I entered the small room. Not giving much thought to the books neatly organized on the bookshelves, I went further in my quest. There was a lonely fish living in the dirty aquarium. And I wondered when was the last time it had seen clean, no greenish water. "Hello there." I waved to the apathetic pet.

Since I didn't have anymore reason keeping me there, I went to the next room, which was rarely used. We never received any guests at all. None in a long time. Probably it was because the orphanage was in such a secluded place that no one knew it existed.

Hanged above the fireplace was Mr. Hoffman's portrait from the time he was younger. He would become very proud every time he showed it to us. And we loved the warmth from the fireplace. But what called my attention was the simple, filled with bright red roses, vase that Wendy would fill every morning.

It reminded me of the rose garden near home. So seclude and wild that I believed it was a path that lead to a fairytale land. Usually Jennifer and I played there alone when I was well enough to leave my bed.

Leaving that room, I headed to the hallway only to find Xavier and Nicholas broom fighting. "Hey Joshua, care to joy us?" Asked the chubby boy.

"Sorry, I can't. I was looking for Jennifer right now." I lied. Just as I was about to make my way to the stairs, Nicholas stopped me with his broom.

"Joshua, Joshua, Joshua…" He sounded disapproving. "Stop following that silly girl! We boys should work together to overcome those girls."

"Maybe, but still I have to go." He didn't like my answer as he glared at me. "I'll talk to you later." Before something else happened, I rushed to the stairs.

Xavier and Nicholas were the little mischievous brats in this girl-controlled orphanage. Though they usually did as Diana and the rest told, it was easy to see that it wasn't a calm relationship. While the girls had their own club, which I didn't care to know deeply, the boys had sort of a chevalier one. A place where we could sword fight and treasure hunt. It was an all boys thing, but my poor heath didn't allow me to joy them on all adventures.

The first floor was there my next point was. The dormitory.

Here in the orphanage both, boys and girls, slept together in that big room. And that was where Diana would normally clean. However she wasn't there at the moment. Once I was inside, I saw a strange drawing on the tables, done in late hours by them. There were bunnies and whales and fishes.

"Jo-shu-a!" A very familiar voice sang in my ear.

"What is it Diana?" I asked the red-haired girl as I turned to look at her.

"You are looking for Jennifer, aren't you?" I nodded. An evil grin appeared on her freckled face. "I just saw her passing by. Maybe she was looking for you."

Though I knew there was no way I could escape, I didn't answer her. I must have angered her as she soon frowned. "What a worthless thing you are. You are so useless, helpless **and** worthless that you can't even help us at all. Useless Joshua!" Pushing me to the side, she grabbed the forgotten broom lying on the floor and went away with further words.

Thankfully our encounter didn't last much more than some mere seconds. If there was one person I knew better not to get on the wrong side was Diana. Not wanting to be any longer there, since she could return and make my life a living hell, I went to the next place.

For a while I stared at the sign clearly written Sewing-room. This was the only place where Amanda would always be, beside the classroom or the cafeteria. Her world seemed to turn around sewing and making doll with her rag. Very, but very carefully I opened the door, just enough to let the see clearly without being found out. For I knew that if that happened she would drag me inside and never let me out once again.

To my surprise and horror, the chubby blond wasn't sewing. She was dancing with something that looked like me in real size. And was it wearing a tuxedo? Wait she was dressed in a weeding dress. I shivered to the simple though that I was the one being held in her arms. That was too much for a young boy like me to watch, so a closed the door and went to the library without a second thought.

Almost every wall was covered with books, some fairytale other scientific, and two girl were there chit-chatting. Meg would sometimes teach Susan or Olivia how to read, and I could catch from time to time a story about some unfortunate girl walking in a clover field. But I never paid fully attention. I guessed that Meg wasn't so bad, she just happened to love someone that would never return the same feelings. So poor Meg. I wondered why she loved Diana in the first place.

Next was the play area, where Thomas played with the toys that were to childish for the rest of us to play with. The others did call him a mischievous boy, but beside his strange nature and obsession with trains, I found that he was a rather normal person. At least as normal as any of us could get. And I never told anyone that he was actually behind the drawings on the floor. There was no need for that. I would leave him alone for now, I guess.

The balcony, just beside the play area, was where Eleanor would keep her red bird. For many hours she would just sit there and watch the poor bird, maybe thinking if it would survive it let free or if she could have wings just like it, so she could fly away from here. But all of the children from the orphanage where afraid to leave this ground or so Clara told me one day. The outside world was a terrible place for an orphan.

Passing right through the sickroom, I didn't have to enter it just to know that Wendy rested there. That place was more her room than the dormitory ever was. So I went to where Clara was.

And I found her cleaning and changing the bed sheets. "Hello Clara." I say warmly as I entered the white-colored room.

"Oh, hello Joshua." Her reply carried with it such tiredness that I was sure I would be able to see dark circles under her eyes. She, being the eldest, had to take care us, nursing and cleaning scratches and headache with the medicines displayed on the shelves. "Having a look around a guess."

"Yes, Jennifer said that she didn't need my help and since there was nothing else to do…" She pulled the only chair in the room for me to sit down. "Oh, by the way, is Jennifer still there?" I pointed to the other door that leads to the sickroom.

She shook her head. "No, I'm afraid your sister had returned to the washroom some minutes ago."

"So I can assume that Wendy is now asleep."

"Yes, she is."

"Mind if I drink a little cup of water, I'm thirsty."

"No go ahead." Giving me the glass filled with clean water that I drank in one long gulp. "Go slow, Joshua. We only have one bed left now."

Laughing, I gave it back to her. "There is no need to worry today Clara. I'm feeling just great."

"It's good to hear, especially from someone that used to come here almost every week." I was sure that she had a lot of work to do, but I wanted to ask her something.

"Hey Clara, you are soon turning 16 aren't you?" I saw her expression changing from that warm and kind smile to a sad one. "What is wrong? You don't want to be 16?"

"No it's not like that… It's just that I might have to go way… I'm too old to live here in the orphanage."

I gasped in surprise. "You can't leave. I'm sure that Mr. Hoffman would have a place for you here. You are the only one that knows who to take care of our wounds."

For a short moment, I saw her hands grip tightly the bed's sheets. Her whole body becoming tense. Maybe I had said something wrong to her. "Sorry if I said something that you didn't like."

Clara turned to me and smiled. "No. You didn't do anything. Thank you for your concern. I've already talked to Mr. Hoffman and he said that if I wanted I was welcomed to stay here for as long as I wanted."

With a large smile, I hugged her close to me. "See so there is no problem at all. I'll always need you." Looking up, I asked. "What would you like to have as a birthday gift? Mind that I'm not good with crafting or sewing."

For a while she made a thoughtful expression, with those 'hum' sounds, until she exclaimed. "Very well then, I would like to have a bouquet of red roses as a birthday gift."

"Then you shall have it!" Since I didn't want to worry Jennifer any longer, I gave a kiss on Clare's cheek and ran to the washing room.

When I got there, I found the brunette already working. I was glad that she had opened the windows and door, diluting the scent of soup. "You took a while to come back, but thank you for putting my things over there." She smiled, pointing her head towards the lonely shelve near the door.

"You welcome. I went for a walk." I said.

As I sat of the door's steps, Jennifer washed the big pile of dirty clothes. "And did you see anything out of ordinary?"

"No. Maybe… Did you notice how tired Clara seemed today? As if she is in some kind of distress." I looked at her, but she shook her head.

"Sorry, I was so worried about Wendy that I hardly paid attention to anything else." Apologized the girl, whose clothes now were completely wet. "I'm sure she is just tired, that is all."

I wasn't so sure about that. I was going to make sure that she received the best bouquet I could make. Clara deserved that. She deserved to be happy.

The rest of the afternoon passed fast after lunch, which was delicious. And when it was about time for us to go back home, Jennifer went to have one last look on Wendy's condition before we exited the main gate.

Looking back we gave one last glare at Rose Garden Orphanage, the big mansion on top of a hill. "Now let's head home, shall we?" She asked, holding my hand.

"Yes, let's go home."

To be continued...

**Next...**

**March 1921**

**Heaven's gift**

* * *

**Chap 2 complete!!! Yay. Up to the next one!!! See ya all.**

**Yuzu.**


	3. Heaven’s Gift

**Beloved White Rose Princess**

**_Yuzumi_**

**Hi! And let me begin saying how sorry I am not to update his any sooner, but (here comes the explanation short) I wasn't able to touch the PC Q.q I tried I swear, I even tried to print the chaps so I could do it while I had boring lessons, but there was no ink!!! And then I got sick... So that is the main reason why it took me a whole month to send something...**

**Now about the chap: Finally my fav char is now getting in the story XD and at least in my opinion he is the only sane thing in the whole game XD I'm once again not sure if the chap is good, and it's short. But the next one is going to be big XD Or at least I'll try.**

**Thank Saemi67, I'm always happy that you are liking the story. You don't have any idea of how happy. And I don't hate Wendy, but that is how Joshua sees her, unfortunately...**

**Thank washu-the-powerful, I know how you feel... There certainly shoud be more fic about this game. Since there aren't I decided to write this down...**

**And also thank to all the other readers. My inner self is always glad that you are giving this story a chance.**

**Disclaimers: I don't own Rule of Rose. (I'm not gonna say once again to whom it belongs...)**

**Well have fun.**

* * *

**March 1921**

**Heaven's gift**

Looking at the tree beside my window I sighed. It was March. And unfortunately I was being kept home due to a horrible fever I had two weeks ago.

It was always like this, some times I would be so good that I could even run and play with the other kids. But them there were moments in which I hardly believe how far I have survived. Just like this specific one. Not that I didn't like being by my father side while he worked in the garden, trying his hard to earn money at the end of the month. No, I loved watching him.

However that also meant that Jennifer wouldn't be here. She on the other hand was free to go to the orphanage. I even thought sometimes that Wendy was certainly glad of my current heath. After all Jennifer had been hers for two weeks. So I hoped that she enjoyed it, because I was going back as soon as I got better. That I had promised myself.

Talking about promises, Clara's birth gift certainly made her happy and also worried when she saw the rose bouquet being held by my mutilated hands. For that brave and noble act I received three kisses. One on my forehead, two others on each cheek. It was a rather small and private party, with nice cake Jennifer had baked the night before. Though the brunette didn't talk to Clara, I knew that they could be friends if it was given the right effort. So I hope it did help.

There was nothing for me to do, but to wait some more hours until she came back. And none of my toys, scattered around seemed to catch my interest. Not even my favorite aircraft. It was not fun to play by myself when I could have company instead. So while my father wasn't watching, a got out of bed and when to his officer.

From all the rooms, that was one of those "out of reach" areas which included the basement. On it's walls there where pictures, some of dad and I, others from mom. But I was too young to remember how she was, how she whispered my name while cuddling me. The only thing I had were some old stories and photos.

And mount those, the one I adored, was the furthest, hidden behind the curtain. I was told that we took that as soon as she got out from the hospital. I could see it in the background, the big white building with a red cross. My mother, with her beautiful almond hair, smiled, holding me close to her face. Just like she was about to kiss my red wrinkled face. And my father had both hands on each side of her thin waist. His face was so young and happy. A complete new person. Right at that time, we were happy.

But with her sudden death, father quit his job as a rear engine mechanic in an airship. Yes, my father once upon a time used to fly high in the sky, traveling all across the United Kingdom. And due to my unstable health, he decided that it would be better for both of us to live as far away from the city as we could. So he bought this house and started grow things in the garden. Our lives were not the best someone could have, but he always said it was better than living in that dirty and polluted place which would only increase breathing problems.

I wasn't sure if he said that only for me to understand or it was only a way to convince himself that he had done the right thing. I would never say a word.

Getting closer to his desk, I saw some pieces of paper neatly folded with some drawing on it. "A little bit anxious about the new story aren't we?" Echoed a deep voice from the door. "Haven't I told you not to wonder around here?"

"Sorry. I know I should not be here, but I'm tired of staying in my room." I defended myself. Looking right strait to his tired eye, I continued. "Jennifer isn't here…"

"I know Joshua, I know. But that doesn't mean you can come here." Suddenly grabbing me, he put me on his shoulder. "Well, if my son is bored, how about you stay outside with me?"

Nodding, he took us to the backyard. The sun was making his slow path to the west and I sat on the fence, taking and playing with my father. It was nice to feel the calming spring afternoon, especially since it had rained in the last couple of weeks.

Whipping the sweat, my father said. "How odd. You sister is never late." I agreed. Normally by now, she would be already back home, helping him prepared dinner.

Just as he told me that, we heard Jennifer's voice announcing her return. Running to her, I through myself in her awaiting arms, whispering how much I had missed her. And she hugged me back, kissing my forehead with a tender and long kiss.

"You are late." Father cleaned his hands on his dirty cloth, before coming to hug her too. "Did you have a lot of clothes to wash?"

"Actually…" Looking at her back, she held both our hands and made sign for us to get closer, as if someone would be hearing our conversation. "There is something I want to show you." Without giving us any chance to answer, she led us out of the backyard, passing through the house gate and then the rose garden. I was almost out of breath when she stopped, right at the bus stop; search the nearest bush for something.

To my surprise, there was a fluffy, small breathing animal in her arms. A dog puppy to be precise. It was so small that Jennifer some trouble holding it in an awkward hug. "Isn't it lovely?" She asked, showing us properly the little creature.

It gave a little bark as it tried to sniff my hand with its cold nose, making me giggle. "Yes. It is indeed."

"Oh Jennifer. Where have you found this poor soul?" My father questioned while looking around us.

"I found him an in box right behind those bushes. I don't know how long he has been there, but I just couldn't let him stay alone." As she explained, he found the box, bring it close to us. Inside there was some rags, not warm enough. But gladly they weren't wet, which meant it wasn't such a long time since it was left there.

Both, Jennifer and I, looked at him with waiting eyes. He gasped. "No. Oh no. We can not afford to have another mouth to feed. We have barely enough food for ourselves!" His big hands waived in all directions as he explained. But we didn't take our eyes and pleas out of him. Even the small puppy whined.

"I'll take a little bit from my share. You won't have to worry father." She said, trying to sound mature yet not sure if she was getting it right.

"Jennifer…" This time my father whined, complaining like a child.

"I'll help too."

Just as I said that their eyes fell on me as if I had said some blasphemy. "No Joshua." Jennifer cut whatever argument I could express when she explained once again that I need as much food as we could get. And there was not arguing that. Unfortunately.

"At least let me help a little bit." I offered more softly this time.

"But children we haven't even agree if we are or not stay with it." His words reminded us of that little inconvenient problem. "It takes more than just feeding, you know? You'll have to walk it and bath it. It takes a lot of hard work."

We sighed sadly, bending our heads down. "However…" He continued. "If you two manage to do all of that more your duties, I don't see why can we not have an addition to this family. After all four id better than three." Our faces lightened in a blink of eye as he hugged him dearly. "Very well, now let's all go home." Doing as told, we went home. Jennifer holding the puppy and my father carrying the box.

Once at home, father finished his work and soon he started to cook a wonderful meal for us. It's wasn't something sophisticated, most of it was leftover. But I eat with joy. And Jennifer did give it a little bit of her food, smiling and giggling while we all watched it. In the end I also played with it. It was funny to see the puppy's tail waiving energetically as he walked strangely around the kitchen.

"Jennifer, please, could you take him to the shelter?" She nodded. "Make sure to close the door so that it doesn't run away." Even if it was against his will, I went with her, promising to as quick as we could.

Thankfully it was spring. The air wasn't cold enough, so inside those wooden walls it was warm for it to stay there. Placing the box far away from my father's tools, in fear of having them falling at the dead of the night, we carefully looked at it for a while.

"We need a name." Jennifer said, patting its head. "We can not keep on calling this lively puppy 'it'." Holding it right above her head, she examined his big brown eyes.

"I know! How about Jennifer?"

At first she looked right into my eyes, blinking and saying nothing. And then the sound of laughter filled the whole room. She was laughing of me. "Pff… Joshua, I believe it's a 'he', not a 'she'. And beside we can not name him with a 'J' name."

"Then what should we call 'him'? Puppy?"

Once again she laughed. "Of course not, Joshua. We shall name him… Brown! That is it. Brown is the perfect name."

"Brown?" Looking at the little creature, I had to say it was a fitting name. His eyes were brown and his light fur had a gold shine. "Well, I guess it's good."

It seemed that he also like his name, barking and whining at the sound of those five letters, sniffing his new home with enthusiasm. And out time there came to an end when we hear my father calling us to go inside, so we placed the puppy once again in his bed and when away, making sure to close the door behind tightly.

As we entered the house, father was already waiting us in the living-room, with our new story in hands. Both, Jennifer and I, sat on the couch, each one by his side while we turned calmly showed us the front page.

On it there was a draw of what looked like stork, holding something wrapped in what would be a blanket. It was flying high in the sky.

"This one I've called 'Heaven's gift'." He explained, while he handed each on of us a cup of hot milk. "I had this one in mind and somehow it's fitting for the context." Turning the next page, he went on, heading those short lines with his deep voice.

"Once upon a time, there was a young man whose family always worked in the field. But he however was so tiny that he was in no condition to help them there. As they feared that while working they could bury him accidentally." The fist page there was a window, a big one, and little person looking at the outside, earnest to go help the bigger ones in the field.

"And he pleaded and pleaded to heaven to send him anything that would allow him to also help his needing family. Unfortunately that wish didn't come true." In the next one, he was kneeling and praying for the starts.

"As winter came, the fields became bare. Not a single plant grew on the ice land and they all started to get hunger and hunger as months passed by. But he was so tinny that among them, he was the only one that didn't starve, the only one that watched them die." I saw Jennifer place both hands on her mouth while waiting anxiously for the next page. And I could not blame her. The story was so sad at the moment that I felt pity from the little guy on the yellow page.

"After a certain day, some of his relatives started to constantly put the blame on him. Saying that it was his fault for never help them. That god had abandoned them because of him, because of his laziness. But his father, mother, brothers and sisters knew that he had done thing wrong." This time, the poor little man was surrounded by big, gigantic shadows that pointed they long, clawed fingers at him.

"Not being able to stand that anymore, the young man decided to adventure around the world to see if he could somehow get help to his family. So with some slices of bread and cheese, he left his home."

"When he had walked for months and his body was deadly tired, he decided to rest on top of a tree. However something was whining loudly on the nearest bush. Since he was brave, he went down to have a look. Now what do you think he found there?" He stopped, asking us with his sullen voice and big eyes.

None of us knew, we guessed many strange things like doves or foxes or some mysterious monsters. But so wrong we were that I felt the whole house shake with my father's laugh. "It was a box." He explained, while showing us the next page. "And inside of it there was a trapped ugly and dirty dog, hungry and hurt."

"The young man did not know what to do. He had little food, he could be eaten and the box's lock was so big, he certainly wouldn't be able to open it. But that didn't frighten him. Someone needed his help, so with all his might and cleverness, after a full day, he managed to set the poor soul free."

"To his surprise, the dog was magical as he could talk human language, run faster then the wind and be as strong as any other creature. And unfortunately that box had a curse on it, making him unable to break free, and no one had even stopped to do anything. He also said that he was in debt with the young man for saving his life." It was rather funny to seeing the draw of the dog's nose and the little man.

"Accepting the offer, they ran back to his home. Working his magic, the dog made, in the blink of eye, the infertile land greened than the vastest paradise, while the young man called his family. His father and mother cried as they saw his dear son returning home. His brothers and sister sang happy songs to celebrate. All his relatives had long being banned from the house."

"Now they no longer starved to death. His prayers had finally been answered. And they all lived happily ever after." Closing the thin book, my father smiled. "So what did you children think?"

I was astounded, not able to even say a single word to him. So it was Jennifer the one who told him how beautiful that story was, that she loved it dearly. And I saw a big smile shining on my father's wrinkled face.

"I'm really glad to hear that. And look at what time is it. You two are now off to bed." As he said that, I felt my eyelids heavy as well as my whole body. So giving him a long hug and kiss, Jennifer and I waived goodnight as we existed the living room.

Once we were outside, I knew that our path had to split right there. My room was on the right side of the hallway while hers was down in the basement. In the cold and humid basement. But that didn't mean I wanted to let go of her hand. Its warmth was so good against mine, making it my own.

"I'm like him right?" I murmured while playing with her hand. Her eyes laid on mine when I looked at her. "Useless… Just a problem…"

Gently and slowly, Jennifer wrapped her arms around me, bringing me closer to her chest. "We are happy the way we are, Joshua." Her words seemed distant, but comfortable as I laid my head on her shoulder. One hand ran through my short brown hair with gentle strokes. "And now we have our heaven's gift. I'm sure everything is going to work just fine."

And we stayed there for I do not know how long, holding each other, whispering little nothings, when my father called from the living room. "I can still hear someone's whispers." Giggling, we kissed each other's cheek and finally separated.

That night, I stayed awake for sometimes, wondering if my life would really change. If we had truly being blessed. Whatever the reason, I wished these happy moment stayed forever with us.

To be continued…

**Next...**

**March 1921**

**Into the Bunny's Hole**

**

* * *

**

Horay!!! One chap less!!! Now to the next one.

Yuzu


End file.
